


An Over Indulgent Feast

by irismoon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 12:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2508275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irismoon/pseuds/irismoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa enjoys dozens of exotic dishes at a feast after finally finding herself free in Pentos.  After finding herself ill, Sandor cares for her.  </p><p>I hate summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Over Indulgent Feast

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda takes place in my Lemoncakes universe. Someday I would love to go back and rework that story since it was my first. I have a few other one shots that take place in the same story, so I would like to go back and combine them all and make them all one big story. Maybe someday when I am not in the middle of so many WIP fics. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, shame on me for writing this tonight instead of working on other fics. This wouldnt go away from my brain was distracting me so i thought it best to write it down and get it out of there. 
> 
>  
> 
> I own nothing, Its all GRRM, i am just playing with the characters.
> 
> Spoilers through Season 4 of Game of thrones, and Book 5
> 
> not betaed and hopefully not a mess.

Sandor held back a grin as he sipped his wine and watched the Little Bird shovel even more food into her mouth. When he stopped to think about it, he probably should not be surprised that she was eating like a starving woman. They had been traveling for months, and their journey had been long and hard. After he had rescued her from the Vale and Littlefingers clutches, they spent weeks traveling through the rough terrain of the mountains, surviving on dried meats, stale bread and cheese. They finally arrived at Saltpans where they were lucky enough to catch a ship headed for Pentos. Their travels by boat were not much better. Sansa suffered from seasickness and barely touched the food that was offered, which was mostly salty fish and more stale bread. It was a relief when they finally arrived at their destination and the Manse of Illyrio Mopatis, a friend of Tyrion Lannister who, according to The Kingslayer and Brienne of Tarth, had offered to shelter the girl until Tyrion returned with news from the Targaryen Queen who was attempting to conquer Westeros. 

Illyrio had offered them his hospitality, giving them both lavish rooms to rest in, and Sansa some dainty silk gowns to wear. He arranged to honor them with a feast, although by the look and size of the man, Sandor suspected he did not need a reason to throw one. 

That is how Sandor found himself now, surrounded by rich exotic foods and wines. He had cautioned the girl about over indulging in the delicacies, but she ignored him. She sampled a cold beet soup, and rich cheesy broths. Steamy vegetables, and soft fresh baked breads. She took a portion of both the roast chicken and the boar. He tried to warn her when she bit into the Dornish peppers, and tried to not laugh as she cried out in alarm at the burning in her mouth, gulping down her wine frantically until Illyrio called for a servant to pour her a glass of honeyed milk to soothe her tongue. 

Sandor had thought she would have slowed down after that, but to his amazement she was just getting started. She nibbled on olives and dates for a few minutes, before taking a portion of smoked fish on a plate of greens and surrounded by lemons. She exclaimed in delight at some small spicy sausages, and insisted the he taste them as well. They were good, a bit too garlicky for his taste, and he did not have the heart to tell her that he suspected the meat was probably something less exotic than she imagined and most likely dog or horse. 

Sandor had worked for the royal family for years and had attended hundreds of feasts, but Illyrio put King Robert to shame when it came to indulging his tastes. There was more food and dishes than he had ever seen. He mentioned this in a whisper to the girl only to have her remind him that she had attended the royal wedding and that Joffrey and Margarey had served seven and seventy courses at their wedding feast. She had just accepted a portion of a thick and heavy meat pie, but pushed it away after a moment when she realized it was pigeon pie. She shivered as if she were cold even though the room was hot and muggy. She reached for her wine and drank deeply. 

She had tasted the goat, but preferred the duck with its rich thick orange sauce. She tasted plump dumplings in cream and some pastries stuffed and baked with rich fragrant cheeses. She giggled and tried to summon the courage to taste some of the more bizarre delicacies such as the honeyed locusts or the snails covered in butter, but in the end passed on both when her eyes lit up as the deserts were brought out. He had remembered that she had always enjoyed lemon cakes back in Kings Landing. Now she seemed to want not only those, but all the other sweets as well. She tried the winter cakes, stuffed with nuts and berries, a rich a creamy pudding topped with heavy cream, and a flaky pastry covered in sticky sweet icing. 

In addition to the foods, there was also the wines. Sandor was drinking a wonderful Dornish red, but he drank sparingly having refrained from wine for the past few years. He was surprised at how much Sansa drank. He had never known her to drink more than some watered down summer wines back in Kings Landing but she informed him that during her time at the Vale she had developed a taste for a good vintage. Illyrio offered them quite an assortment and Sansa tried them all. The ever popular Dornish red, and the Arbor gold. A light and fresh summerwine, and a Myrish fire wine which took her breath away. A thick black beer, and a warm mead fragrant with spices. She loved a tart Apricot wine from Meereen, and a thick blackberry wine that she kept trying to get him to sample. It was much too sweet for him, he could barely swallow the stuff, but she drank several goblets full, followed by a dark and unusual Dreamwine imported from Qarth. 

Just when he could not imagine the tiny girl eating another bite, the servants brought out trays of fruit. An assortment of large and plump specimens of foreign fruits that Sandor could not identify. Sansa selected a few different ones and sampled each one in turn, bewitching him as he watched her attempting to eat them without making a mess, but at this point in the evening she had indulged in the many wines to the point of not caring, and licked the sticky juices off her fingers in the most unladylike fashion. 

She was nibbling at a fig when she suddenly set it down and pushed her chair away from the table. She stood and swayed a bit before asking him if he would escort her to her chambers. He happily agreed, having grown tired of the festivities hours ago. Before they reached the hallway that would lead them to the rooms Illyrio had given them she stopped and took his arm and led him in the opposite direction. 

"I fear I have had too much wine tonight, could we please walk in the gardens for a bit? The fresh air will clear my head." she asked. 

He nodded and the two of them headed outside. The moon was full and high in the sky, lighting their way. Illyrios gardens were lush and full, and the night was hot, making the air fragrant from the flowers that grew all around them. Sansa sighed and leaned her head on his arm as they strolled slowly down the cobbled walkways. 

"Are we safe here?" she whispered. 

He was silent for a few minutes before answering her. "Safe for now, but your a fool if you think that fat man is our friend. Men like that love to do favors for the rich or powerful, but in the end they always expect to be repaid. He will want something in return for his kindness before this is over, mark my words." 

"As long as it does not require my hand in marriage I will find a way to pay it gladly." she spoke with a giggle. "I am tired of running, of hiding. I want to be free and live my life. I have lost so much, and for a time in the Vale, I feared I would even lose my mind." She pulled away from him to smell some dark purple blooms growing off a large bush. 

Sandor stood and gazed at her in the moonlight. She was wearing a Pentoshi silk dress of spun gold cloth, that clung to her every curve, showing off much more skin than she would have ever dared in Westeros. Along with her bright auburn locks she looked like a torch lighting up the darkness. He longed to bury his nose in her hair and inhale her sweet smell. Sometimes he thought perhaps he was more afraid of her fire and the way she made him burn than he was of the real flames. She saw him looking at her and smiled. 

She held her arms out at her sides and spun around happily. "I love it here in Pentos." The long flowing fabric of her sleeves floated around her arms, as she danced, and he chuckled thinking to himself that she truly looked like a bird. He was happy that she felt free enough to finally spread her wings to fly. 

Suddenly she lost her footing and stumbled, but he reached out quickly and caught her arm before she fell. She began to thank him, but then frantically pushed him away, turning to lean over the hedge, where she violently vomited her dinner. 

He stood frozen in place for a moment, until he heard a great sob come from her. He stepped forward and gathered up her hair away from her face as she continued to get sick. He whispered soft words to her and gently rubbed her back. After a few minutes she finally stood up and looked up at him, her face flushed and mumbled softly. "I drank too much wine." 

"Aye lass, I feared as much during the feast." He began to lead her back into the manse, but she lost her footing again, so he simply scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside. She rested her head against his chest and after a few minutes he looked down to find her sleeping peacefully. 

When he finally reached her rooms and opened the door, he found a fire burning in the hearth despite the warmth of the night and the room was muggy. He lay her down softly on the bed and then crossed the room to open the window. Moonlight flooded the room and he took a few deep breaths of the fresh air. 

He heard her stir behind him, and turned as he heard her voice. "Please will you stay with me?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "I fear I will be ill again, I do not wish to be alone." Her eyes were closed but she reached her hand toward him. He walked toward her bed and pulled up a plush armchair and took her hand, stroking her dainty fingers for a few minutes until he heard her breathing become slow and heavy. He stretched his legs out before him, holding back a groan as his old injury made itself known. He closed his eyes, the heat of the room making him feel very tired. 

He must have dozed because suddenly he awoke to feel her shaking his leg. "Sandor, what are you doing in the chair?" she whispered. 

He opened his eyes and looked around the room. The moon had moved in the sky and the fire in the hearth had burned down to only embers, making the room dark. He quickly rubbed his face and looked over at the girl. Her hair was messy from sleep, and she had removed her golden dress, now only wearing a thin silk shift. 

"Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. You were sick after the feast and asked me to stay." he said quickly. 

"Yes, I remember all that." she said with a roll of her eyes. "But why are you in the chair?" she patted the bed next to her. "Come to bed, you cant be comfortable there. There is plenty of room." She looked down "You even have your boots on still." she exclaimed. 

He began to protest, a million reasons why it was not proper for him to be in her bed came to mind, but she reached over and took his hand before a word could pass his lips. She held his hand tightly. "This is not Westeros, and I am finally a free woman." she whispered. He looked her in the eyes for a few moments before he finally nodded, kicked off his boots and climbed slowly on the bed beside her. 

She curled up at his side and he pulled her into his arms. After a few minutes of simply holding her close and breathing in her scent, he felt his eyes grow heavy again and sleep claimed him once more. 

He awoke at dawn to find her still in his arms. She greeted him with a sleepy smile, and Sandor remembered her words from the night before and began to think that perhaps he loved being here in Pentos as well.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried really hard with the food descriptions. I hope that i picked dishes that would be realistically served for the time period and things like that, but I am not much of a foodie, so I tried to be as inventive as possible. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed.


End file.
